The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled today that Clear the Bench Colorado, which opposed the retention of three Supreme Court justices during the 2010 election, is a political committee subject to contribution limits under state campaign finance law.

The decision – the result of a complaint filed in 2010 by Colorado Ethics Watch – means that the organization would be limited to accepting no more than $525 per contributor per election cycle. As an issue committee (a committee that advocates for or against a ballot issue or question), the group was able to accept unlimited contributions.

Luis Toro, director of Colorado Ethics Watch, called the ruling “a victory for keeping big money out of judicial elections in Colorado,” while Clear the Bench Director Matt Arnold said the decision was flawed and “flies in the face of the law.” Meanwhile Andrew Cole, spokesman for Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler, called the case is another example of how overly complicated the state’s campaign finance system is.

Gov. John Hickenlooper will be surrounded by Denver students Friday when he signs a bill making the western tiger salamander the official state amphibian.

House Bill 12-1147 is a result of a coalition of students from several Denver public and private schools, including Steck and Westerly Creek Elementary, the Bill Roberts K-8 School, George Washington High School and Stanley British Primary School.

They took their salamander idea to two Denver Democrats, Joyce Foster and Angela Williams. And now the salamander is about to join other official state symbols, including the state fish, state grass and state bird.

The bill signing will be in the governor’s office at 11:30 a.m. Friday.

Employees work on vortex generators at Vestas Blades in Windsor in November. Vestas has invested $1 billion in four plants in Windsor, Brighton and Pueblo. The company is pushing Congress to extend the wind energy production tax credit.

The move is part of an “all hands on deck” approach to getting the tax credit extended beyond its expiration at the end of this year, Senate offices said. The first legislative attempt failed earlier this week. Wind energy officials say the uncertainty is making it hard to plan for the future and extending the credit could help more than 1,500 workers in Colorado.

“With employers like Vestas willing to invest in Colorado, Congress needs to act well before the deadline and give these employers certainty to plan ahead – otherwise those jobs will move to other countries,” Udall said, in a statement.

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.